The past week of gloomy, wet skies with more forecast in the days ahead means that this so-far underwhelming fall will likely produce dimmer fall colors, fewer pumpkin patch visits and a lot more time to read by the fire.
That's the prediction so far as rainy weather settles over large stretches of the state this week, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for the Twin Cities and most of southern and southeastern Minnesota.
"It's wet. It's Minnesota. At least it's not snow," Katherine Fischer said as she peered out at the gray skies from a downtown Minneapolis sidewalk while awaiting her bus Monday evening.
Forecasts call for 2 to 4 inches of rain in the metro area and southern Minnesota, with 5 to 6 inches possible from south-central and eastern Minnesota into west-central Wisconsin. The flood watch is in effect until Wednesday morning.
Even with eight cloudy or partly cloudy days so far this month, we've got a ways to go to beat our gloomiest October ever, said Peter Boulay, assistant state climatologist. That would be 2009, when the metro area recorded one sunny day for the entire month.
We're running about 5 degrees below normal for temps so far in October, with the season's first subfreezing temps expected Thursday night with a low of 31. For leaf peepers, the abundance of cloud cover so far this month could mean a less colorful fall canopy, said state Department of Natural Resources expert Val Cervenka. "What's needed for the reds to really pop is bright, sunny days," she said.
Strong sunshine helps fill leaves with a pigment, anthocyanin, that's responsible for red and crimson colors. The best fall display usually comes with warm days, bright sunshine, and cool nights.
The state is behind where it should be with fall colors, but that can change very quickly, Cervenka said. "If we get lots of sunlight next week and drops in temperature, we may see — all of a sudden — things turning. Keep your eye on those maples," she said.
